Easy Living: A South Carolina Indoor-Outdoor Home and Garden

This study in gracious Southern living is a fine example of how the Not So Big philosophy of better, not bigger, works in the garden.

Extending the presence of home into the outdoors allows porch dwellers to witness the elements without actual contact. On still summer evenings, any air movement, enjoyed from the back-and-forth rhythm of a rocking chair or porch swing, is refreshing.

Photo By Grey Crawford

When the source for this charming bronze statue is turned off, the central water feature becomes a reflecting pool, complete with water lilies floating on the surface.

Photo By Grey Crawford

The brick fountain was placed to be visible from the dining room windows.

Photo By Grey Crawford

This long, linear trellis brings privacy to the side-yard garden. Panels of wooden trellising create dappled light and air circulation, and shafts of light from the end of the structure lead visitors forward.

Photo By Grey Crawford

Cally and Ken erected handsome piers and in-filled them with a high solid wall flanked by lower openwork screens, all made of the same brick used for the fountain.

Photo By Grey Crawford

With its integration of landscape and building, and abundant plantings that create a sense of cloistered sanctuary, Cally and Ken’s property proves you don’t need acres to attain a sense of seclusion.

Furthering the traditional feeling of this neighborhood is the rear laneway, which means cars are kept in back. Here, the couple screens the driveway area with a charming trellised gateway and picket fencing.

Photo By Grey Crawford

Cally and Ken extended the presence of their home by building a framework of trellising and screens.

Photo By Grey Crawford

Homestead Purple (Verbena canadensis) sows itself freely in front of the picket fence along the lane. Behind the fence, Confederate jasmine vine blooms white to form a dense hedge.

Photo By Grey Crawford

In this neotraditional community, architectural and planning review boards determined that the lots should be small and the façades close to the street to create a close-knit community.

Photo By Grey Crawford

The couple chose their lot for the two majestic live-oak trees that shade the entire backyard.

Photo By Grey Crawford

One of the homeowners’ wishes was a place for storing tools and equipment that didn’t scream “garden shed.”

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